NY Post Silent on NYC Council Speaker's Party Affiliation

Another Empire State Democrat appears ensnared in a juicy political scandal involving misappropriated money and political patronage.

An article in the April 3 New York Post reports that New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s office has been hoarding millions of dollars in taxpayer money. The money was allocated to fake organizations so that it could be saved and used later for political favors.

The Post noted that the money constituted what essentially turned out to be a “slush fund” for the Speaker as it was later used at Quinn's discretion whether it be to reward loyal groups or to provide funding for projects of favored council members.

The Post's Frankie Edozien should be congratulated for the exclusive, but one thing is missing from the story: Quinn’s political party affiliation. Although the newspaper reported that this “bogus bookkeeping” is subject to federal as well as city investigations, not once did the New York Post note that Quinn is a Democrat. NewsBusters appreciates good investigative reporting, but it is important to be consistent in labeling political party affiliation.

Quinn's official City Council biography trumpets her commitment to a reform agenda including putting forth “landmark campaign finance reform legislation” and increasing transparency in government.

NewsBusters has noted other New York Democrats whose political affiliation was glossed over in media coverage. The MRC’s Brent Baker documented that the big three broadcast networks (ABC, CBS and NBC) continually failed to identify former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer as a Democrat, and Seton Motley wrote an essay on the lack of Spitzer’s political affiliation in mainstream media reports.

(h/t e-mail tipster Andy)